The present invention recognizes sounds from real world objects and notifies the user. For example, the user may put a chicken in the oven for an hour and go outside to play ball not having to worry about when to come in. Although the user could set an alarm on their phone, the present invention removes this time consuming step. The user can avoid having to set two alarms or having to hang around the kitchen for alarms to go off by employing a sensing device for detecting the conventional alarm signal produced by the oven and notifying the user who is no longer nearby.
The present invention not only relays notification messages in response to sounds from real world objects such as microwaves, ovens, and stoves but can also be programmed the to recognize any unique sound or vibration whose occurrence should be called the user's attention. The device employs pattern and template recognition of sounds to notify the user of events within the acoustic range of the device. Different notification messages can be produced to indicate different conditions, different devices and different events being monitored.
To determine the operating status of an appliance or device in a household, the user generally must be near the appliance or device in question. A dishwasher may buzz upon completion of a drying cycle, but the only way a user may know the drying cycle is complete is to either hear when the dishwasher buzzes or return to the dishwasher to check its status. Similarly, other kitchen appliances, hardware, and devices that make noise, vibrate, or otherwise signal that an operation has completed or begun must be located nearby to be monitored.
Devices and methods for monitoring the washer and dryer exist. However, once a user starts on operation with the washer and dryer they may not wait in close enough proximity to know when the operation has stopped. Washers and dryers stop at different times depending on the size of the load and the settings chosen for the washer and dryer. Many washers and dryers have alarms or buzzers that signal when a load is done but some do not. These alarms only work if the user is close enough to hear the alarm. The time it takes for a washer and dryer to complete a cycle may be unknown or easily forgotten by the user. If the user, or attendant, does not attend to the laundry promptly when a washing or drying cycle is completed clothes may become moldy in the case of wet clothes or wrinkled in the case of dried clothes. In addition, the person's work schedule may be affected by virtue of the fact that it was not known that the pertinent laundry process had ended.
The operating state of an appliance may be monitored by measuring the magnitude of household current the appliance draws. Unfortunately, the current level may drop if the appliance pauses or performs other functions during normal operation. Timing devices have been used to indicate the completion of an operation, but will be inaccurate when the appliance alters its operating cycle to adjust for special conditions; for example, some dryers have moisture sensors which automatically adjust the operation time based on the level of moisture inside the dryer.
A program (app) called DryerBro is available through Apple's iTunes App Store that converts an iPhone or iPod Touch into a dryer monitor that is placed on an operating dryer and can send an SMS or email notification to one or designated destinations when the drying cycle is completed. The app uses the iPhone's accelerometer to sense vibrations from the dryer to determine when the cycle is completed. the appliance monitoring methods send a wireless signal to another location or a user device. The signal relays to the user that wash or dry cycle has completed. The signal only alerts users of the completion of a wash or dry cycle, no robust alerts or notifications are given. Unfortunately, users may not like the idea of leaving a phone on a dryer where it could be stolen, and the user may want to use the phone for other reasons but can't do so when the phone must be left atop the dryer.
Many other different systems and methods have been described in the patent literature which provide notification functions for washers and dryers. In Esters, U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,439, a wireless remote device for indicating the status of a washing machine or dryer through the use of a current sensor, vibration sensor, or a sensor integral with the washing machines control is disclosed. In Kuroda, U.S. Pat. No. 5,757,643, a remote management system for a number of washing machines and dryers is disclosed. In Carmichael, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,809, means for monitoring the status of a number of appliances is disclosed. In Kim, U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,375, a remote control unit for a washing machine is disclosed. In Adler, U.S. Pat. No. 6,424,252, a paging system for washers and dryers is disclosed.
Other systems and methods for monitoring washing and drying operations involve many electrical components to condition the incoming signals before wirelessly transmitting any type of output. This output is typically capable of only alerting the user that an operation has completed. Additionally, having many electrical components in an apparatus to monitor the washer and dryer may not be aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, it is a waste of other resources which are readily available in most households. For example, the capabilities and computing power of a smartphone, tablet, or computer which already exist in the household may be used to provide notifications from the raw data extracted from the washer and dryer.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,594,969 to Lill discloses a remote appliance monitoring method and system that uses signal conditioning circuitry to concentrate on sinusoidal vibration velocity. A three-axis accelerometer is described. By taking the first derivative of accelerometer output with respect to time Lill describes the accelerometer output as:Accelerometer output: S1=Acc1=d(Vib1)/dt=−2*pi*f1*B1*sin(2*pi*f1*t); whereB1=maximum amplitude of Vib1 at frequency f1 
The three-axis accelerometer outputs a signal for the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis. Each output is sent through a rectifier to remove AC ripple for each axis resulting in signals Vibx, Viby, and Vibz. Signals Vibx, Viby, and Vibz move through a low pass filter. A signal combining circuit sums the low pass filter output as:Vibsig=K1*[(Vibx)+(Viby)+(Vibz)]; orVibsig=K2*√{square root over ([(Vibx)2+(Viby)2+(Vibz)2)}; whereK1=constant; and K2=constant
The method and system employs signal conditioning circuitry that uses a comparator to find when the signal exceeds a predetermined amplitude trip point for a predetermined time period. Once the average amplitude falls below the predetermined amplitude trip point, a wireless transmitter sends a signal to a receiver indicative of completion of an operation cycle. The average amplitude may fall below the trip point on washers and dryers that have pauses in the cycle and send false operation cycle signals. This method and system can only be used to detect the end of cycle on a either the washer or the dryer, not both.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for robustly monitoring the operations of both the washer and the dryer, without the cost of unduly burdensome and unnecessary circuitry, which send raw data wirelessly to an application for processing and user notification.